


The Curse of Silence

by Samwise_The_Strong



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angry Tauriel, Evil Saruman, Frerin Lives, Kili can't speak, Mysterious ailment, Protective Fíli, Silly Thranduil, Strange Voices
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-24
Updated: 2016-01-16
Packaged: 2018-04-10 23:07:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4411406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Samwise_The_Strong/pseuds/Samwise_The_Strong
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kili is unable to speak due to circumstances beyond his control. The fortress of Dol Guldur is becoming restless. Saruman the White is seeking power. Thranduil seeks a cure for his ill son. They do not know it yet, but they are all tied up in a prophecy that will bring all races together and will bring the one ring into the light. Very AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. At Least It hadn't Pissed in The Closet

The Curse of Silence Chapter 1

This is an AU story where the dwarves have always lived in Erebor (no dragon), but most of the rest of the lore is in place, especially the issue of the ring.

Kili had never spoken a word in his life. He was completely mute to the despair of his family who did not and probably could not understand. The whole of Erebor knew that Kili was mute, but it was only the closest of family and friends who knew the truth about Kili. Kili had a voice, and could use it, but he was told that he was never allowed to. He was told this because whenever he opened his mouth to make sound, his voice was not his own. His mother and father had realized this very early on when he had opened his mouth to cry, only the most inhuman of sounds escaped his lips. It was not animalistic, for no animal they knew made such a sound. There were never any words that anyone could understand, just a loud glaring roar, and perhaps something that sounded akin to a blurred mumbling. If anything it was more alien than animal.  
So when he was old enough to understand, Kili was told that he must never use his voice, as the other dwarves would not understand. As one of the royal family, he might have had some semblance of protection from those who might want to hurt him for being such a freak, however, the council would not look kindly upon him and he would certainly be shunned by all, none being able to acknowledge his existence. He would then be alone, for absolutely none would be allowed to acknowledge him, and he would eventually have to leave forever, never to return. While mutism was still a defect, it was certainly better that being labeled a complete freak of nature and being banished because of it. So that was what his parents went with. Only the most trusted of the family understood everything. That consisted of Dis, Kili's mother, his father, elder brothers Thorin and Frerin, and eldest son, Fili, when he was able to understand.  
Thror still ruled, despite severe old age. He refused to give up the throne and was determined that he would die upon it. The loss of his son, Thrian had broken his heart, especially because no one knew what had happened to him. Thrain had gone out on a hunting trip one fine day and had never returned. At first, Thror had blamed Thranduil, the elf king of the Greenwood. However, Thranduil made it quite clear that he did not have the dwarf king's son. Thror did not believe him, and so withheld things from Thranduil that he had always wanted returned. The two were constantly bickering, and it made things incredibly tense between the two kingdoms.  
It was decided that Kili should learn Iglishmek very early on because it would make it far easier for him to communicate amongst other dwarves. He was also a master writer from very early on, and became very good at acting things out. And then there was Fili, his elder brother and almost constant companion. Fili understood Kili better than anyone else. They had the strongest of bonds and Fili always did his best to protect his little brother from everything.  
Tie passed and King Thror died. Eldest grandson Thorin took his place, though it grieved him that he would never know what happened to his father. Fili was approaching his eighty-second birthday, and had become the finest of young dwarves. He was strong, smart, popular. The perfect young prince. In some ways, all Kili could do was envy him, for there many of those things he would never be. Still, he loved his brother more than anything, and was glad for him always.  
On the day of his birthday, Fili decided to go on a hunt, and he invited Kili and some others to go with him. Dwalin, Thorin's most trusted friend had decided to join them and keep an eye out...As Dis had insisted that he do so. She was not worried about Fili, but more for the sake of Kili who might have trouble getting things across to people and who might be in need of some extra shielding, so to say. As they made their way toward the edge of the Greenwood (for only the outskirts were allowed to the dwarves) it seemed to Kili that Fili was paying more attention to his friends than he was to his brother. That night at they camped, he made his feelings known.  
He sat across for Fili by the campfire. At first he was not sure if he should “say” something, but he was, indeed, frustrated, so he thought it was best he let Fili know. He got his brothers attention and then began to sign. 'You've been ignoring me today, brother'.  
Fili was surprised by this reaction from Kili. 'Have I? It's just...'  
'It's your birthday and you would rather spend it with friends. Did you bring me out of pity because I don't have any?'  
'Don't be childish, Kili. I wanted you here because you're my brother and I want to share this day with you.'  
'Are you sure'? Kili asked, forlorn.' It seems like more and more, you're leaving me behind.'  
Fili gave his brother a smile and reached over, patting him on the shoulder. 'Kili, I love you as I always have and I always will. We have just grown up. My feelings will never change for you, but a new life must begin for me. I have to think about the future, getting married, having a family...If the fates are in my favor. But you will always be my beloved brother.'  
Kili reached over, hugging his brother and giving his a wide smile. 'Happy birthday, Fili.'  
'Thank you, brother.'  
Then, Kili heard it, a twig snapping out in the woods. He held up his hand to silence everyone. Dwalin got to his feet and raised his ax. They could all hear it now. There was something out there. Several somethings as Kili now heard it. When the shadows burst out of the forest, the small company of mostly young dwarves had no chance. Very soon everyone was rendered unconscious. Everyone but Kili, who stared down the robed masked bandits. Who were they and what did they want? They had surrounded him now and were slowly backing him into a tree. When he felt it brush against his back, he knew there was nowhere to go. He drew his sword and prepared to fight.  
Then, instead of attacking, the shadow shapes began to whirl around him, disorienting him. He swung at them but hit nothing. One of them made a grab for his sword and it was pulled from his hand. Another seemed to aim a blow at him. It may have seemed like a shadow, but the blow was real enough. It hit Kili upside he head and h fell to the ground, dazed. The shadows stilled themselves again, and one bent over him. It touched it's cold hand to his forehead, and then he knew no more.  
As Fili woke, the first thing he saw was the shadow creatures picking up the limp form of his brother. Then they turned back into whispering shadows and disappeared with him. Fili jumped to his feet, called after them, but they were gone. Kili was gone. He cursed himself, as he went to where he had seen them with Kili. He looked for any kind of a trail they might have left, but there was nothing. He fell to his knees and began to weep. The only thing he would remember about this birthday was the gift of failure.  
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Tauriel, the captain of Thranduil's guard, was just returning after doing some reconnaissance around the fortress of Dol Guldur. When she reported to Thranduil that it looked like it had not been abandoned, he did not seem surprised by this. He thanked her for her service, but had one last thing to say before she left. “Oh Tauriel. I know you have been gone for a long while, and that you must be quite weary, but I have left something in your room and I would like very much for you to take care of it.”  
She didn't know what this meant, or why he had left her something to take care of. “Think of it as your new assignment.” He added.  
“Of course, my King.” She said. He motioned her off, and she left. As she made her way through the halls of the palace, she wondered at his words. Something that he very much wished her to take care of? It had better not be an animal, as she had no patience for animals. What she had really been hoping for was some relaxation, maybe a hot bath, but apparently she would have to deal with this first.  
As she opened the door to her room, she was relieved when she didn't see a puppy pissing on her floor. However she did hear strange noises coming from the closet. She gave a long sigh...It was an animal, wasn't it. She was beginning to wonder if Thranduil really did hate her. Everyone said he did, but she would have liked to have believed otherwise. She went to the closet and opened it up.  
What she found there was not what she expected. A young dwarf? Wrists tied behind him to bound ankles, big brown eyes, staring at her in fear and red rimmed from possible weeping. What was this about? He does hate me, doesn't he? She thought to herself. At least it hasn't pissed in the closet.


	2. Great...Now There Was Another One...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tauriel is pissed and Fili finds something he's lost.

The Curse of Silence Chapter 2

Tauriel did not quite know what she was suppose to do with the scared young dwarf she found in her closet. She reached out to try and take him out, but he shrank back as much as he could, baring his teeth. “Well I have to get you out of there, don't I?” She said. The dwarf did not reply, he just sat back, eyeing her suspiciously and quivering with either fear or anger, it didn't really matter which. Finally she had had enough, reached in and grabbed his arm and hauled him out. The dwarf opened his mouth in a silent cry of surprise and possible pain, but no sound came out. She put his on the floor in front of her and studied him for a moment. He was struggling as best he could, but only ended up falling forward onto his face. She sat him upright again. He spat and tried to bite at her leg. She gave him a little kick in the side, not a really bad one, but enough to remind him that he was the prisoner here. He fell on his side and curled up a bit and began to weep softly.   
“Excuse me for a bit,” she said. She took his arm again and hauled him back to the closet, depositing him inside and locking the door again. She was going to go have a chat with Thranduil. When the elf king saw her coming, he knew she was livid, which brought a sort of smile to his face. She came to a halt in front of him and began to glare daggers. “Why is there a young dwarf tied up in my closet, your majesty?”  
“Because I need someone to take care of him, and you seemed like the best person for the job.”  
“Why not put him in the cells?”  
“Because he is technically not a prisoner.”  
“I don't understand,” she said, bewildered. “Who is he, why is he here?”  
“The dwarf is Kili, son of Dis, and he does not speak. I believe that he suffers from the same affliction that my son Legolas does. You know that we have been trying for years to cure him of this, but it will not go. From what I know, there are also two others who suffer from this affliction, a halfling in the Shire, and a boy in the care of Lord Elrond. I believe that if we can bring them all together, we may be able to find a way to lift this affliction from all of them.”  
“And you don't think the dwarves will come looking for their lost prince?” Tauriel asked.  
“The magic I used to spirit this one away, was very old and very dark. There is no way that they could trace it back to me. They will probably assume that he was taken by the same beasts who took Thrain. Since it has been well established that I do not have Thrain and never had him, why should they suspect me?” Thranduil said.  
Tauriel did not know if she was agreeable with this whole plan. “Very often things like this backfire, majesty. I know you want to cure your son, but do you think this is the best course of action?.  
“I do,” he said. “In a year or so, we shall set out for Imladris, and then the Shire and we will gather the other two. In the meantime we are preparing a special room for the dwarf. He may not leave this place, but I do not want him to feel like a lowly prisoner who belongs in the cells. He has done nothing wrong. In the meantime, while we are preparing his room, he will need someone to look after him. That is what I want from you. Keep him safe, and do not let him escape. You have no other duties, as of now.”  
“You're stripping me of my duties?” She said, exasperated.  
“Until this is settled, yes.”  
“I'm the captain of your guard, not a babysitter!”  
“This is your duty now. Do what I have told you. Obey your king.”  
“Fine! I will take care of the little toad. But I won't like it!”  
“I am not asking you to like it, I am asking you to do it. A week at the most. You can handle the dwarf for a week, can't you?”  
“Yes majesty.” She said defeated. “I can handle it.”  
“Good. Now go.”  
She left the king to his contemplation and returned to her room. She went to the dwarf and pulled him out of the closet again. She really just wanted to rest, but she couldn't right now. She cut his ropes. Once on his feet, which were quite cramped, he still managed to make a run for the door. She went after him, grabbing him and hauling him back toward the bed, where she restrained him with the rope again, tying him with hands behind him to the bed post and helping him slide to the floor. He gave a few weary tugs to the rope, but it was no use, so he hung his head again and tried to disappear into himself. She then realized that she would have to try and find better restraints for him. Pain in the ass...  
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When Fili returned with the bad news that Kili had been stolen away from them, Thorin and his mother were livid. Not with him specifically, but with the fact that another of their line had been taken. Thorin listened to all accounts of the attack and did just as Thranduil thought he would and attributed the kidnapping to the same creatures who had taken his father. Fili wasn't convinced.  
“We have to go after them!!” He said.  
“Go after who, Fili?” Thorin asked. “As you yourself noted, they were some kind of apparitions. Creatures that cannot be followed. That may not even be real or from this world! How do you expect us to follow them?”  
“I don't know. There must be a way though. I have to find Kili!”  
“Kili is gone, Fili. Probably dead by now, and if he is not, he is probably wishing he was. I have no idea how my father died, but I am sure that he is dead. If these are the same creatures...”  
“I have to go.” Fili said. “I have to go and help him. If there is any chance that he is still alive, I have to help.”  
“You will not go.” Thorin said pointedly. “You are my last heir. You will stay here and fulfill your duty.”  
“And what? Just give up like you did?”  
Fili had said the wrong thing. Thorin rose from his throne and stepped over to where Fili stood before him and slapped him hard across the face. “How dare you say such things! I looked for my father endlessly. Both me and your other uncle. We searched until there was nowhere else to search, but there was nothing. He was our father, Fili. Your mother's father, and it broke all of our hearts. Kili is gone, Fili. He is not coming back. I suggest you mourn for him, for that is all you can do. I love you, Fili. I love both of you, and I know this has broken your heart, but there is nothing you can do. I am sorry.”  
Fili said nothing, he simply walked away. That night, he snuck out of the palace, and he went to look for himself. As he entered the forest, he knew that he would not come back without Kili.  
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By the third day, Tauriel was quite tired of the young dwarf. She provided him with things to write, but he stubbornly refused to communicate with her. She just knew that he was insulting her when he was using his dwarf sign language. She made sure that he was fed and watered, and he had sort of made the closet his own now, having taken his bedding into the closet he now slept in there. He still wept sometimes and she was pretty sure that he was wiping snot all over her clothes.  
When she went to make her meager rounds in the palace, she had to take him with her, as she had learned, even restrained, a dwarf could still ruin your room if you left him in it. Things strewn everywhere and a frustrated dwarf lying in the middle of the room, staring at the ceiling wishing he was somewhere else. He wore very light manacles upon his wrists, and with a length of chain, she just led him around like a puppy. He followed grudgingly. Every time she looked over her shoulder at him he was either glaring at her or giving her puppy eyes. She quite preferred the glaring.  
The at one point he decided he was not going to follow anymore. He simply sat down in the middle of a corridor and refused to move. Tauriel was frustrated. She bent over him, and grabbing a fist full of hair, she pulled his head back so that he would look up at her. “Do you know what we inflict upon obstinate, stubborn dwarves? You're not going to like it.” At first there was a flicker of fear in his eyes, but then he began to glare again and kicked at her leg.  
Now she was angry. She grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and began to drag him through the corridors. “Let me show you what we do to them. Maybe you will learn your lesson!” She said. Now he was afraid, and he began to squirm, but her hold was tight, and he had made her truly angry. Was she going to hurt him? He couldn't stop her if she was. Finally, they made their way down some stairs, which was not very comfortable in Kili's position, and they came to a space surrounded by barred rooms. “How would you like to spend some time in a nice cell, dwarf?”  
As she loomed over him, they heard the sound of bars rattling nearby, and Kili heard a familiar voice. “Kili?!”  
Kili looked into the cell behind him and was overjoyed by what he saw. Fili?! He mouthed the name. He struggled out of the elf's grip and ran to the cell door. It was Fili. He reached through the bars and held Fili as best he could as tears filled his eyes. Fili hugged him back fiercely. Fili had found Kili. The elf just huffed at this happy reunion. Great...Now there was another one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!! Please leave me a review or comment if you like what you see. There will be more soon!! Cheers!! STS


	3. Niether have I, Kili...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fili pisses off Tauriel and the elves begin to hurt Kili!! What will Fili do?

The Curse of Silence Chapter 3

Finally, then embrace ended, and Kili stepped away from Fili for a moment to sign to him. Fili, I'm so happy to see you!! Kili had tears running down his face. I don't know what they want, Fili. They haven't told me anything. I don't think they'll ever let me go... He stepped to the bars again and attempted to hug Fili, but Tauriel was there. She gripped the back of his jacket and pulled him away, pushing him behind her. She leaned in to talk to the other dwarf.  
“He knows you. Who are you, dwarf?” She asked sternly.  
“I don't see where it's any of your business, elf, but I am his brother. Why have you kidnapped Kili?”  
“That information comes on a need to know basis, and you don't need to know.” She said with a slight sneer. “Come dwarf!” she said as she began to pull on Kili's chain. Kili was having none of it. He fought to try and get back to Fili.   
Fili said, “please, if you will not let me out, please let him stay with me. He's alone and scared. Let me take care of him.”  
Tauriel thought about this for a moment and finally, she pulled Kili to the cell door. She released him from his chains and then shoved him into the cell with Fili. “There. I hope you enjoy his company more than I have.” She stormed out of the dungeons.  
Kili sat down on the cot and Fili joined him. Fili said, Kili I have been so worried for you. Thorin thinks that you were taken by the same creature that took his father. He thinks you're dead. Now he probably thinks both of us are dead.  
You probably shouldn't have come, Kili said despondently. Now neither of us will leave this place. Mum's probably beside herself.   
Well I couldn't just leave you, you idiot. I had to find you.  
Why? Kili asked.  
Do we have to go over this again, Kili? You're my brother. I would never leave you if I thought there was any chance that I could help you. Have they hurt you, Kili?  
The only thing lacking is kindness. They have told me nothing about why I am here. I don't know what they want with me.  
Don't worry, Kili. We'll figure this out.  
A couple of elven guards came down into the dungeons and came and unlocked the cell. They pulled Kili out of Fili's grasp, but it was not Kili that they took. Kili was left alone in the cell while Fili was being led away. “Don't worry, Kili!” He cried over his shoulder as they led him. “I'll be back!” He heard a shaking of the bars which he knew would be Kili's only response.  
After some time, the elves led Fili to the throne room, where the elf king Thranduil sat in all his glory. Fili glared up at the smug looking king, and tried to steel himself for what would surely be an emotionally taxing conversation. Finally he came to was placed before the throne, the two guards bowed and stepped away for a moment.  
“Fili, son of Dis I presume?”  
“And you are Thranduil, king of the wood elves. Now we know each other so perhaps you would like to explain a few things, like why you found it necessary to kidnap my brother?”  
The elf merely smiled at the young dwarf. “Your brother is here because he suffers from an ailment. An ailment that I am most interested in curing.”  
“You're going to cure my brother? That isn't possible. And why are you so damn interested in curing him anyway? What's this got to do with you, elf king?”  
“You don't need to know that at the moment.” Thranduil said. “All you need to know is that I am going to try and find a cure for him. In that time you both shall remain here. You may leave when this is all over.”  
“So what happens if you don't find a cure, majesty?” Fili asked sarcastically.  
“Then I suppose you shall never leave this place.”  
Fili's eyes widened in fear. “You can't do that. You can't just keep us prisoner here. We haven't done anything!”  
“I know, but that doesn't really matter. Take him away.” The elf said with a gesture of his hand. The elves grabbed Fili and began to haul him away, but he greatly protested. “You can't do this to us! You can't do this elf! I hope my Uncle Thorin comes here and cuts your head off!”  
Thranduil smiled at this and gave the dwarf a little nod as he disappeared into the corridor. Fili was thrown back into the cell with Kili. Immediately he tried to get to the door and at least make a swing at the elves who had manhandled him, but they slammed the door in his face, so he made do with spitting on their shoes, and then went and sat by his brother again. Kili sat by his side and tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention. Fili smiled at him wearily.  
It's alright Kili. The elf says that he's going to try and cure you, but both you and I know that's not possible. But I'm gonna get us out of here Kili.  
He won't just let us go when he figures out it's impossible?  
I'm sorry, Kili. He says we'll be stuck here forever. He rested his head upon Kili's shoulder who in turn rested his head against Fili's. The foreseeable future seemed pretty bleak.  
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Fili and Kili spent the next few days in the cell, signing to each other and braiding each other's hair and engaging in random dwarf stuff....Or at least that was the way it seemed to Tauriel, who was still technically in charge of them. She had no idea that dwarves made such a fuss over hair and beards. They were more vain than elves. And she still knew damn well that they were making fun of her in that damn dwarf sign language. Even the one who could talk refused to talk with her, which was annoying to no end.  
Finally the guest room was ready, and she was to take them to it. She put the manacles on the younger one, but the elder one gave up more of a fight, but finally she managed to chain him. “Come along dwarf.” She said, yanking the chain.  
Fili stumbled forward a bit and said. “Careful, you! I am a prince of Erebor, we both are, and we shouldn't be treated in such a way by the likes of you. Whatever you are. But I get the feeling that it's whatever you scrape up off the very bottom of the elvish barrel.”  
She gave him a hard backhanded slap that sent him crashing to the floor. Kili stepped between then, but the elf pushed him out of the way. She reached down and pulled Fili up by the front of his jacket so that their faces were inches apart. “You will never speak to me in such a way again, or I will make you suffer. I may not be able to kill you, but I know of a few lovely punishments that would turn you into dwarf jelly. So I suggest you watch yourself.” She set the dwarf back on his feet and began to lead them away.  
The room was nice, and looked very much like it would have been a regular guestroom in a beautiful elvish house. There were comfortable looking beds, a table, chairs, books shelves with books upon them...Large windows that let in a lot of sun...With heavy bars upon them that probably would not be easily dealt with. She released them from their chains, but it was clear that there was no way to get out. So they would simply have to make the best of it. They spent their days after that in utter boredom, and Fili often found himself in verbal sparring matches with the ridiculous she-elf that seemed to be their keeper. He didn't like her at all.   
Then one day, they came to the room, three guards and that woman. Two of them held Fili while the other two took Kili away. Fili fought as hard as he could to get to Kili, but the door was slammed in his face and locked. All he could do was sit on the floor against the door and wait to see if they would bring him back. When he heard the voice, he knew they were doing something to him. It had never been that loud before. However there was nothing Fili could do but wait and listen. The voice sounded a few more times, and then was silent. They will bring him back to me. Fili thought. They have to.  
Finally they brought an exhausted looking Kili back into the room. He seemed to be unconscious and they held Fili back as Kili was placed upon the bed. When they left, Fili rushed to Kili's side. It seemed the younger dwarf was simply asleep, and Fili wondered then if he should try and wake Kili. But he had to know that Kili was alright. He shook his brother. “Kili!” No response. “Kili!”  
Kili eyes snapped open and he sat up in bed, frightened eyes looking around as if for danger. When his eyes landed on Fili, he knew he was somewhat safe and he collapsed back onto the bed again. His hands came up and he began to sign furiously. At first Fili didn't understand. “Kili, slow down, I don't understand.”  
Kili slowed his hands. Fili, they made me do it! They made me use the voice! I didn't want to, but they hit me, and they threatened you. I had to.  
Fili got a good look at Kili's face now, and there were a couple of bruises forming on the side of his face. “Those damn cowards. I heard the voice, Kili. I'm so sorry. I have never heard it that loud before.”  
That's because there was someone else, Fili. A young elf. He has it too. We used it together. He didn't want to either though. They hit him too.  
This made no sense. Why would they keep it a secret that one of their own was similarly afflicted? Why would they hit him. “Why did they hit him, Kili?”  
It was Thranduil. He hit the young elf. He said the elf was disappointing his mother, and that he should do it or he would never be worthy.  
Worthy of what? Then Fili realized something, and he asked the elf bitch for an audience with the king. She agreed, but slapped him again for calling her an “elf bitch”. When Fili faced Thranduil again, he had a slight smile on his face. “He's your son, isn't he? This young elf that you're forcing to speak.”  
“Yes, you're very smart aren't you?”  
“I suppose. You're not doing this for Kili's sake. You kidnapped him out of pure selfishness, didn't you?”  
“Again, you're very smart, master dwarf. However I grow weary of talking to you, so you will leave now.”  
As they began to drag him away once more, Fili said, “don't hurt Kili anymore you coward!” Again the king merely smiled and nodded.  
When Fili was deposited back into the room, he went over and sat by Kili on the bed. Kili put his hand around Fili. The bruises upon Kili's face were now dark. “I'm sorry, Kili. I can't protect you. But I think until I figure some way out, you should cooperate.”  
You mean use the voice? Kili asked, astonished.  
“Yes use the voice. Just for now. I think I have thought of something that might get us out of here.”  
Fili, the last time there were words.  
Words? Fili asked. What did the words say, Kili?  
I think it was a name...Or may two names, not sure. Smeagol? Gollum? I have never heard such names before.  
Neither have I, Kili. Neither have I...


	4. As for Kili, You Won't Be Seeing Him For A While

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saruman plots and Fili pisses off Tauriel to interesting results.

The Curse of Silence Chapter 4

Saruman the White approached the ruins of Dol Guldur with trepidation. He had been told by Radagast the Brown that some evil was at work there, but in all truth, Saurman never took Radagast seriously. He was merely a ridiculous animal love, wizard of the lands. Radagast the bird tamer. Wizards as important as Saruman was had no time for fools like Radagast. However he foelt it best that he check things out, just in case ridiculous Radagast was on to something. Plus getting a chance to out-do Mithrandir was always a treat. How Saruman detested his “old friend”, Gandalf the Grey.  
When he entered the ruins, he definitely felt that something was amiss. As he climbed the stairs of the tower, the feeling only grew. When he finally came out onto the ruined platform, he came face to face with something he would have never expected. An apparition, wreathed in shadow. It was tall, and shaped almost like a man, but there was really no substance there. Just a terrible shadow. It reached out its hand, as if to touch him. Saruman recoiled. “What manner of demon are you?!”  
“They call me the Necromancer,” it said in an odd and inhuman whispering voice. “But I was know by another name once. Can you guess what that name was, Saruman the White?”  
“You know me, but I can only truly guess at who you are. I have some idea, but it was believed that you were destroyed many long years ago.”  
“I cannot die, wizard.” The strange apparition said. “I am sustained by the power that I myself created. Do you know of that power, and what holds it?”  
“Isuldur's Bane. Has it been found?”  
“No indeed, but I have heard the voices nearby. Those voices, possessed by the four races of Middle Earth were created by that magic and had remained dormant until now. If they are all brought together, they will point the way to Isuldur's Bane.”  
“You know much that I do not, Sauron the Great.” Saurman said. “However, we remain enemies, my friend.”  
“Enemies? If we were enemies, you would have fought with me long before now. No you are listening to me, Saruman the White because you want to know.”  
“I want to know what?”  
“You crave power, my friend. I can hear it in your voice. You are as greedy or greedier for it than any man. Why would you deny it?”  
“You read me well,” Saruman said. “I would take this thing, if I knew where it was.”  
“I know you would, which is why I need your help. I am not strong enough to leave this place myself yet, however you can do so for me. Find the four with the voices. Bring them together and make them reveal Isuldur's Bane. Bring it to me and you shall be greatly rewarded wizard, as the only one of your kind upon this Middle Earth.”  
Saruman thought this over for a moment. “Am I hearing you correctly? You will destroy my brethren and retain me?”  
“They are fools who would try to stop me. You Saruman are the only wizard who will see reason. Join me, and you shall be the greatest wizard ever to walk these lands.”  
“But they are my brothers...”  
“Family is only so useful, wizard. Will you help me?”  
“You said the voices were nearby?”  
“Two reside with king Thranduil, a young dwarf and a young elf, both princes. One is a hobbit of the Shire by the name of Bilbo Baggins, and the fourth is a young boy who resides in Imladris with Lord Elrond Halfelven. Find them and they will lead you to it.”  
“I will go and find the voices. I will accept what you have to offer. I will go now. Thank you, my Lord Sauron.”  
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Fili and Kili remained prisoners of Thranduil in the Greenwood which had grown dark of late. People had begun to call it Mirlwood, but that is neither here nor there. The boredom still ate at the two young dwarves when they were not being harassed by elves. When the elves did harass them, it was to take Kili away and force him to use the voice. They always brought him back in an unconscious state of exhaustion. Fili was beginning to worry that this was really hard on his little brother's body, and that it would really begin to hurt him soon. Fili had to discover a way out. Until then, he could only comfort Kili and pray that the next time wouldn't kill him.  
Fili had come up with a sort of plan though, but he did not tell Kili about it. If it did not work out, he did not want to get the younger dwarf's hopes up, so for now, he kept it to himself. He had taken to reading out loud to Kili, which the younger dwarf seemed to enjoy. He still got into shouting matches with Tarahell, or whatever the hell her name was, which Kili did not enjoy. Other than that, there was really nothing else to do but stress, worry, and hurry up and wait.  
One day they came and took Kili. Fili waited patiently for them to return him. When they did, they still held Fili back. Fili took advantage of this one night and whispered a knife out of one of the guard's sheaths. The guard hadn't noticed, and Fili quickly hid it away in his tunic. The next day when Kili was feeling better, Fili showed it to him. What are you going to do with that? Kili asked.  
I don't know. Maybe carve up a mouthy she-elf...But first we're going to get out of here with it.  
Use it to pick the locks? Kili asked.  
You can read me like a book, can't you brother? Fili gave him a wide smile and went to the door of their prison and began to pry at the lock.  
Unfortunately for Fili, the door burst open at that moment, and there stood Tauriel and the elven guard who he had taken the knife from. The elf guard came forward and wrested the knife from Fili's hand, and Tauriel stepped forward and grabbed Fili by his shirt collar. “I knew he had it,” said the Guard.  
“You have been a pain in my side since you got here,” Tauriel said, getting down in Fili's face. “Now I shall teach you a lesson.”  
Kili's eyes widened in fear, but Fili showed none, and merely brought his foot down upon hers. She gave a wince and a small grunt, but seemed otherwise unaffected. “Come with me.” She growled as she dragged him from the room. Kili tried to follow, but he was thrown back by the guard who shut and locked the door. Kili banged on it from the other side, but there was nothing he could do. “I'll be back, Kili!” Fili called as he was dragged away. The banging upon the door continued.  
Fili was taken back down to the dungeons, but Tauriel stopped him on the upper levels for a moment. “You really are a stupid dwarf, aren't you? Making trouble for me.”  
“That's because I hate you, you unholy bitch.” He gave her a smug smile.  
She slapped that smile off his face, and then lifted him (though he was heavier than he looked) and threw him face down upon a nearby table. The elf guard held him down and Tauriel pulled his tunic and undershirt up. “Unblemished. Apparently dwarves don't believe in punishing the unruly.”  
“What the hell are you doing?!” Fili said as he struggled.  
“As I said, I am teaching you a lesson.”  
“What lesson is that? That you're a sadistic psycho bitch?!”  
“For that, I think about ten now.” She stepped into a nearby alcove and then returned. She held a cane out before Fili's face. “I suggest you prepare yourself dwarf.”  
“You can't do that!” He said in a panic now. “Please, don't do this. I won't do it again. Just let me go back to Kili and I'll be good.”  
A swift blow, a pinched cry and then an elven smirk. In fact two elven smirk, the guard was really pissed that the dwarf had stolen him knife. By the time it was over, fifteen blows had landed. The dwarf was a bad boy, he deserved to be punished. Then he was tossed into a cell and the door was locked firmly. She looked down on Fili, panting on the floor and felt momentarily guilty. Then he looked up at her and said, “unholy bitch...”  
She kneeled down to his level. “I will inform the king of your disobedience. It is likely that he will be very disappointed.”  
“Do you think I care?!”  
“I will also send the healer down to take care of some of those wounds.”  
“You said ten...”  
“I did,” she said. “I lied. Sometimes I do that. As for Kili. You won't be seeing him for a while.”  
“What? No! You can't do that to him!” Fili cried.  
“You should have thought of that before your little escape attempt. Sorry dwarf.” She literally spat the last word and then left him alone in that cell as he screamed at her to let him return to Kili. He was ignored. Fili couldn't believe what they had done to him, and now they were punishing Kili as well. Then again, he had only himself to blame for that. He shouldn't have tried it. Eventually he went to the cell's cot and lay down on his belly, sighing heavily into the hard pillow.  
A couple of days later, Thranduil did come to visit him. The elf looked more amused than angry. He stood outside the bars with a confident smirk upon his face. “Fili, Fili, Fili, when will you learn that insult and escape attempts will get you nowhere. Try flirting and charm next time. Ladies love a dwarf who can tell them they're beautiful.”  
“I'd just as soon kiss an orc!”  
“Seriously dwarf, you do yourself no favors.”  
“Why are you really torturing Kili? Answer me that.”  
“I am trying to help my son. If I bring the voices together, it might cure them.”  
“Yeah, it 'might' cure them. In the meantime they have to suffer.” Fili said. “Does that seem right to you?”  
“You know nothing, Fili son of Dis. You are young and brave, but you have no wisdom or capacity for great thought.” The elf king scowled at him. “I would never hurt my son if I did not feel it was necessary.”  
“No it's you who knows nothing.” Fili said despondently. “Please, don't kill my brother on the chance that it might mean something. He doesn't deserve to die that way. Or to die here held by enemies and taken away from his family. He's alone right now...Completely alone...”  
“Well, Fili, son of Dis, we leave my kingdom and travel to Imladris and the Shire soon. You will come with us and deal with your your brother. If either of you is not compliant, you shall both suffer. There are worse things than canes with which to damage you.”  
“I get to go?” Fili said.  
“I doubt I could get him to cooperate unless I did. But I believe our dear friend Tauriel will keep you both in line. She seems to like you so much, dwarf.”  
“Indeed? I like her too....In fact I'll love her to death.”


	5. He didn't like adventures. They made one late for dinner...And supper...And possibly ones midnight snack. Damn orcs!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We meet Bilbo and an adventure begins.

The Curse of Silence Chapter 5

Some months earlier...

Bilbo Baggins was a Hobbit of The Shire. He lived in a comfortable hobbit-hole up on the hill known as Bag End. Since his father had died a few years back, Bilbo had lived alone, and sometimes he was lonely, however he was often lonely because he could not speak. He had a voice but he was not allowed to use it because it was inhuman. So he and his parents had put much effort into his education, reading, writing, and a form of sign language they themselves had created to help them communicate, at least among themselves. When Bilbo had family, he was happy. Now that he was alone, Bilbo was quite distressed. Also he was being hounded by the Sackville-Baggines who were annoying at the best of times.  
Thankfully, Bilbo found some peace in his writing and his books. He was happy as happy went when one was alone. Somehow he was keeping the Sackville-Baggines at bay, for they wanted the house and were suggesting that the best thing for Bilbo was to go and live with his Tookish relatives because he was incapable of taking care of himself. They had painted him as an imbecile, which he certainly wasn't. Yet that didn't keep Lobelia from going to the Mayor in Michel Delving. It was a source of constant frustration. Still he had convinced the mayor for now that he was capable and he was able to stay. He loved the look on Lobelia's face when the mayor had said that.  
At the moment Bilbo was reveling in his victory, settled into a cozy chair with a nice book and a warm cup of tea nearby. He wasn't expecting any company that night, so when his door literally burst in and a flood of ugly orcs began to come in, Bilbo was more than astonished. Bilbo jumped out of the chair and tried to make for the back door. Unfortunately he was tackled in the hall and was roughly brought back out into the living area. The orc who had hold of him dangled him in front of the others by his wrist. The little hobbit struggled as best he could, despite the fact that the grip on his wrist was very painful. The creatures began to speak in an ugly language that Bilbo that Bilbo could not understand.  
“This is the creature?” One of the ugly creatures said.  
“I think it is...”  
“Maybe we should see if it speaks.” Another one said.  
The orc holding Bilbo shook him vigorously, and said in heavily accented common. “Speak!”  
Bilbo would not speak, would make no sound at all, even after the orc hit him with his free hand. The hobbit stayed silent.  
“This is the one.” The orc holding him said. “We will take him to Dol Guldur.”  
Sadly for the orcs, there was someone standing in the doorway. A man with a great sword in his hand. Bilbo didn't know what to make of this either. “Release the halfling, orcs!”  
The great orc simply laughed at him and dangled the hobbit in front of him. “Come and get him, if you want.”  
The man did just that, sword brandished, he began to take the orcs out, slashing and cutting until orc parts littered the floor. Finally only the holding Bilbo was left. The orc lifted the hobbit up in front of him as a shield of sorts and put a knife to his throat. Bilbo was mortified beyond belief. “Let me leave with the halfling. Let me leave and I won't cut his head off right now.”  
“A counter-offer. Let the halfling go and I might let you live.”  
“You and I both know that's not going to happen, ranger.”  
Bilbo looked at the man standing in the entry hall. A ranger? He had heard of rangers who lived in the North, but he had never met one before. He looked at the man imploringly. The man was pulling something out of his cloak. It was a knife, and it was thrown in perfect precision and hit the orc right between the eyes. It fell backwards with Bilbo still clutched in it's arms. The man came to check on the hobbit. Thankfully, Bilbo was alive with nothing more than a scratch on his neck to show for the ordeal. The man helped him up.  
“You are lucky that I came in time, halfling. They would have killed you otherwise.”  
Bilbo shook his head. The man seemed perplexed. “Do you have a name, halfling?”  
Bilbo touched his throat and his mouth and shook his head, indicating that he could not speak. The man understood, nodding at the hobbit. Bilbo went and got his writing pad and wrote on a paper, they wanted to take me somewhere. They weren't going to kill me.  
The ranger was perplexed, “that doesn't make sense. Orcs don't just wander into the Shire and take halfling captive. Where were they going to take you?”  
Dol Guldur...? Bilbo was not sure he had spelled that correctly, but the ranger looked at it with concern.  
“They said Dol Guldur?” He asked. The hobbit nodded. “These orcs did not come from Dol Guldur. They came from Angmar. You know Angmar, do you not?” The hobbit shook his head no, but he didn't like the sound of it. “It was the former realm of the Witch-King, he was one of the most dangerous minions of the Dark Lord Sauron. Now it is unclear where either of them are, but if they were taking you to Dol Guldur...You must come with me to Imladris.”  
Bilbo did not know that name and looked at the ranger quizically. “Imladris, Rivendell. The home of Elrond Half-elven. He will help us to figure this out.”  
I don't want to go! Bilbo wrote, the fear showing in his eyes.  
“We must. This is only the first group of orcs. If they do not come back, more will come here and they will keep coming until they have what they want, you. If you are not here they are no danger to you or this land.” Bilbo nodded his despondent agreement. “Very good. And now maybe you will answer my original question. What is your name, master hobbit?”  
I am Bilbo Baggins of Bag End. And who might you be? The ranger read it and smiled at the hobbit. “I am Terrien a ranger from Esteldin in The North Downs. I followed the orcs here from Esteldin, but wanted to know their purpose. Now that I know, I find it all very disturbing. Now go and prepare yourself, Bilbo Baggins. I am taking you on an adventure.”  
Bilbo gave a long sigh. He didn't like adventures. They made one late for dinner...And supper...And possibly ones midnight snack. Damn orcs!  
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Currently...  
Fili found himself in chains again, but that was no great surprise. He was taken out into an area where some elves were making a wagon ready. A large barred wagon with a solid roof and sides that would probably come up to his waist. Inside this wagon, Fili saw Kili who was standing at the bars staring at him. He hadn't seen Kili in about a month, since the escape attempt and was glad that his brother still lived, as they had continued to torture him. Fili could hear it and he often wept for Kili while he sat alone in his cell. But now they would be reunited for whatever this journey might bring.  
Tauriel hauled him over to the wagon and then tossed him inside, shutting the door and locking it firmly behind her. Fili stood and looked over to where Kili was. Kili just came over and laid hid head upon Fili's shoulder. Fili pulled him into a hug. Together again after so long it seemed. After Fili established that Kili was generally okay, they began to talk. Fili didn't tell Kili about what had happened down in the dungeons, nor would he, as it would only worry Kili. However he did feel that they had things to talk about, and that they were going to have a lot of time on their hands in the near future...Again...  
As they started moving, Fili sat down by Kili at the front of the wagon. Kili pointed out the grated side at a young, blond elf. That's the one who also has the voice. I think his name is Legolas or something.  
Ah, so that is Thranduil's son?  
I guess so. That is who we assumed he was.  
Indeed we did, Kili. Have you spoken to him?  
Kili raised an eyebrow. No not really, Fili...  
Ah yes, sorry. Stupid question. But the others have spoken to him?  
They have, but not much. Almost as if they're not allowed. Only Thranduil is allowed really. Or at least in that situation.  
Ah I see...  
Kili gave Fili and inquiring look. Did they hurt you Fili? And be honest.  
No not really...  
You're not being honest, Fili.  
Fili rolled his eyes. Okay, they gave me a good lashing, but as I see it, I had it coming to me for being so stupid. The worst punishment was being away from you. Not knowing what was happening to you. It almost drove me mad...  
I missed you too, Kili signed and he rested his head against Fili shoulder again.  
That evening when they stopped, Tauriel too them out of the wagon so that they could stretch their legs. They ended up sitting on a log at the edge of the clearing near the wagon that they were still chained to. The only elf who paid them any mind was Tauriel, who kept a close watch. Finally she came over to them to see what they were doing.  
“Bored yet?” She asked.  
“With all this great entertainment,” Fili said. “How could I be?”  
Kili sat and lazily combed Fili's hair with his fingers. He made ready to fix one of Fili's braids.  
“What is the thing with dwarves and their hair?” Tauriel asked.  
“His hair and beard are a dwarf's greatest pride. We take great care with it. Just because elves don't mind looking like shit doesn't mean that me and Kili shouldn't at least try to maintain.”  
“You have a really smart mouth dwarf. It has gotten you into a lot of trouble you know. I would have thought that you would have learned, especially after your last experience.”  
“Oh c'mon.” Fili said. “You know you love it. This is the kind of love/hate relationship you thrive on, isn't It? Tell me you don't find it tantalizing...”  
“I don't find you amusing at all.”  
“Say that to my face woman. And yes, it means you'll have to bend over a bit.”  
Fili got up and stood almost toe to toe with her. She bent down and began to speak, but he grabbed the front of her dress and pulled her forward until their lips met in the sloppiest kiss either of them had ever had. When he released her, she almost fell back. When she righted herself, she noticed Fili had the brightest most triumphant smile on his face that she had ever seen. Instead of the customary slap or kick, she simply stormed off, leaving the two young dwarves the laugh over what had just happened. Fili settled back down next to Kili.  
Well that was exciting, Kili signed. She's gonna get you later, you know.   
Probably, but I won this round.  
Do you kind of like her, Fili?  
Fili gave Kili a hard look. No, Kili, not really...  
Are you sure? Kili had a wicked grin on his face.  
Yes Kili, I'm sure. When we get out of this, I am going back to Erebor where the women aren't pathetic wisps...And the men don't look like the women.  
Our women sometimes look like men. Kili pointed out.  
That's different, Kili.  
In what way? Kili asked.  
Fili gave him an exasperated sigh. I'm not going to get into that right now Kili. Lets just leave it at I have won this round, next it's her move.  
So if she tries to kiss you, you won't try to kiss back?  
I kind of have to, Kili.  
But you'll resist, right?  
I guess, Kili. Why are we having this conversation?  
You started it! You kissed her...  
Yeah...Now I'd really like to forget it... Fili signed dejectedly.


	6. “Ask him about that time that he...Did it on Thorin's desk with the maid.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fili and Kili explain dwarven sexploits to Thranduil.

The Curse of Silence Chapter 6

*Warning: Discussion about sex involving odd stereotypes and rancid innuendo. Hahaha. Nothing too graphic though. Will probably make you laugh more than gross you out.

It seemed, of late that a lot of strangers had come to Imladris. A few months ago, a ranger from Esteldin had brought to Elrond a halfling that the orcs of Angmar had been hunting. When Terrien and the hobbit Bilbo had recounted the whole incident, Elrond had been very concerned. He had heard that evil things had been stirring in Dol Guldur, and the halflings story merely confirmed that something was not right. The halfling could not speak, or at least refused to do so, so he conveyed everything through writing. The funny thing was that he knew someone who suffered from this very malady. The boy who lived with him, Estel.  
The boy's name was not actually Estel, it was actually Aragorn, son of Arathorn, and one day he would be chieftain of the Dunadain, and hopefully some years after that he would be king. For now, though, he was just a boy, a child brought here by his mother so that they could be protected from their enemies. At least for now. Elrond had tried everything to try and cure the boy, but nothing he tried worked. He had heard that there were two others with this same malady, a young elf in the Greenwood and a young dwarf living in the kingdom of Erebor, and often he had thought of what might happen if he were to bring them all together. However he had not done so because he felt it was unsafe for Estel to leave Imladris, and he was not ready to have so many strangers come into his realm because it would draw unwanted attention to Imladris.  
Somehow it was strange though. They were coming to him anyway. First the boy, now the hobbit, and if it wasn't Thranduil and his mute son Legolas knocking at his door. He expected soon that he should see a contingent of dwarves trundling down the path into Rivendell. The dwarves did not come, but it was certainly an odd thing to see Thranduil again, someone he hadn't seen in many a long year. Was Thranduil seeking a cure for his son? Sadly he had to tell the elf that he had not even found one for Estel and the hobbit. Thranduil seemed surprised that the halfling was being kept there as well and he asked if he could see Bilbo. When Thranduil saw the hobbit and it was made clear that he did indeed have the same affliction, the elf kink was both shocked and overjoyed. And then he decided quite abruptly to leave.  
“You have my greatest thanks, Elrond of Rivendell.” The Elven king said.  
“I am sorry that I cannot help you. At least not yet. Maybe when Estel is older, we can think of something.”  
“Do not worry yourself too much, Elrond. You have made things so much simpler for me. You have no idea, my friend. We shall leave now, and hopefully when we meet again, it will be about a cure for out children and friends. Farewell.”  
“Farewell.” Elrond said as he watched the king depart with his son. He found the visit very strange, but after some uncertainties decided that it was not important and that it was best to let it go. Little did he know that Thranduil had his best warriors at the ready with new instructions. To go in at night and steal the boy and the hobbit who was now residing at Imladris.  
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The band of elves that held Fili and Kili prisoner were now camped at Echad Mirobel, ruins in the land of Eregion. The great forges were not far from there. That was where Celebrimbor, the great elven smith had forged the great rings, three for the elves, seven for the dwarves, and nine for men. Most of the dwarf rings had either been taken or destroyed. The last known one was kept by Thrain, but Thrain had disappeared long ago, so one could only assume that the ring had been taken. Dwarves were funny creatures really. While they did have some want of power, they were more likely to be corrupted by possessions rather than a true lust for power.  
Since the incident between Fili and Tauriel, the elf woman had tried to avoid the dwarves and spent as little time as possible tending to them. Every time she did, Fili would make kissy lips at her and Kili would worsen it with his soundless chuckle. Oh how she hated the dwarf. If they didn't nee3d him to keep Kili in line, she would kill him herself...Or at least she thought she would. Anyway, it was all very annoying. They had not forced Kili to use the voice since they had left, which Fili was glad for. If they had tried, he would have fought them to the end, even if it meant his end.  
That night, when Thranduil returned, he let his son go and rest, but he himself sought Fili out. Fili was sitting on a nearby stone signing with his brother when Thranduil approached. The elf king looked over at Kili. “Can we have a moment?” He said, indicating that he wanted to speak to Fili. Fili indicated that Kili should go rest, and the younger dwarf went to his bedding and curled up. Fili lifted his eyebrow in curiosity. “What do you want, wood elf king?”  
“Oh I just thought maybe you would want to actually talk to someone. And since he doesn't talk and you've scared off your keeper, I figured maybe you and I could have a word. How is he?”  
“Kili is fine.” Fili said. “He really wants to go home and doesn't really understand any of this. But seeing as we have no choice...” Fili held up a chain and jangled it. “So how is yours?”  
“Legolas? He is strong, he will survive.”  
“I just have to ask again, are you sure this is what you want? You could be messing with things that even you cannot understand.”  
“Maybe so.” Thranduil said. “But I could not forgive myself if I did not try.” His tone and facial expression changed. “I hear you were trying to scale mount Tauriel. How did it go?”  
“What?” Fili said. Then he remembered. “Ah yes. That. I wasn't trying to scale, just skirt the bottom.”  
“Ah, I see. Too bad. No one has scaled that mount in a long time. Unless you count her scaling herself.”  
“Okay, gross. She needs a nice vigorous male I would say.”  
“Oh I don't know about that...Why get someone else to do what you can do better yourself.”  
“Again, gross.”  
“Plus then she would complain about not being satisfied and men not being able to find that thing that makes women so damn happy. What is it, a cliboris or a climoris or something. I don't even know what it's called, but apparently males don't know what to do with it. Find it, and you're the dwarf.” He said with a sigh.  
“It's called a clitoris. Haven't satisfied anyone in a while, have you?” Fili asked with a ghost of a smile on his face.  
“No, master dwarf, not in a while.”  
Fili stared to laugh. “What's so funny?!” The king asked.  
“Nothing. I just find it hilarious that you're like thousands of years older than me and you have never had good sex!”  
“I never said that I have never had good sex. And just for the record, master dwarf, how many mountains have you scaled in your short life?”  
Fili went silent. “I don't want to talk about it...”  
“Yeah, that's what I thought.”  
Thranduil felt a tug on his sleeve. It was Kili who was handing him a bit of paper. Thranduil read it. “Ask him about that time that he...Did it on Thorin's desk with the maid.”  
“KILI!!!” Fili said as Thranduil started to laugh. Kili started to chuckle as well. “Kili you told me you were never going to say anything about that ever to anyone!”  
“Why? What happened?” The elf asked. Kili started to write again and handed the paper to Thranduil. The elf began to laugh hysterically. Fili took the paper out of the elf's hand. “Me and mother came into the room and caught them in the act. Fili got his moment of bliss, but I don't think she did. KILI!!! Why are you doing this to me?”  
Kili began to sign. I need a little stress release, Fili. Laughter is the best medicine. Kili gave him a big smile and winked at him.  
“This is simply priceless, Fili son of Dis.” The elf said.  
“Yeah well...Kili's a virgin!” Fili said. The two looked at him, Kili in shock and Thranduil looking like he might burst at any moment...Which he did. The laughter filled the whole camp. “Thank you so much, sons of Dis. This has been most entertaining!!” the elf wandered off, holding his sides as he continued to laugh.  
You didn't have to tell him that, you ass hole! Kili Signed.  
Yeah, well now we're even! Fili said.  
Moments later, Thranduil's warriors returned, and they laid down next to Fili and Kili two small bodies. At first Fili thought they were both children, but them he saw that the one small figure wore an older face, which made him a halfling and not a child. They were both chained to the wagon along with Fili and Kili, and the elven king came to examine them.  
“Very good. Tomorrow, we will use the voices and see what happens. Hopefully, it will free them all.”  
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When Saruman traveled to the Greenwood, he found that the elf king was gone, and that he had probably taken the dwarf princes with him as well. It did not matter, he would catch up to them soon enough. Isildur's Bane would soon be his. A thoght came to him them. If he had this mightiest of items, why share it with Sauron? He could take it for himself and be the most powerful being in the world. All would bow to him or feel his wrath. It was perfect. At Dol Guldur, he had begun a project, building an orc army. These were special orcs though. Orcs that would answer only to him. His Uruk-Hai a hybrid of several unsavory creatures. They would fight for him, and when the time came, that would destroy Sauron, saving Middle Earth...For himself.


	7. Come son of Thrain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kili gains something he has never had. Thorin learns something he did not expect.

The Curse of Silence Chapter 7

First of all apologies for the bad sex jokes in the last chapter. Did not mean to offend, but it seemed funny to me. Plus frustrated Tauriel is hilarious, and now we sort of know why she's frustrated, hahaha. Anyway, off we go!!

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When the boy and the hobbit awoke from their unconscious state, both of them were justifiably distraught, as neither of them had counted on being stolen from their beds that night. Tauriel came over and tried to sooth the weeping boy, but got absolutely nowhere because, in all truth, she was a warrior, not someone accustomed to soothing weeping children or noticeably agitated halflings. In the end, she whad to walk away, and it fell on Fili to take care of everyone. While he would do so, he found it somewhat annoying that he was now the camp babysitter. He held young Estel and sang to him until the child was not so harried. Then he and Kili tried to explain everything as best they could. It was all quite frustrating.  
When everyone had finally gone to sleep again, the child in his lap, Kili leaning against his shoulder and the hobbit curled up nearby, Fili wondered what would happen next. Surely Thranduil would try and force them all to use the voice tomorrow. None of them knew what would happen then. How would he protect Kili...And now the other two? All he knew was that he wasn't going to let them take Kili away without a fight. He would fight them until he could fight no more, and in that moment, he felt brave. But how long would this last? He didn't know how much longer he could stay strong for everyone. He wished then that he had help. Thorin, Dwalin, anybody...  
Soon enough though, he had fallen asleep and was startled awake when he felt the Kili shaking his shoulder. It was the elf woman and a few more of the elven guards, and they had come to take the three away. Fili stood up in front of them.  
“You can't do this.” He said as bravely as he could manage. “Please, it might kill them.”  
The elves paid him no mind, and Tauriel tried to push him out of the way. He refused to move though, grabbing hold of her arm and kicking at her wildly. She took several hit to the shin before the other elves pulled Fili off. They bound him more securely, hands behind his back, ankles tied together, and for good measure, Tauriel shoved a gag into his mouth. “So I don't have to listen to you anymore,” she said. Then Kili, the boy and the hobbit were taken away. All Fili could do was give frustrated cried behind the gag and struggle, though he knew it would do him no good.  
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The three prisoners were brought in and they were stood beside the elf, Legolas. Thranduil stood before them and examined them all. “I assume the dwarf explained this all to you.” He said. “Today you will all use your special voices. There is a possibility that you may be cured of your silence.”  
The boy and the halfling shook their heads. While Legolas had used his voice and Kili had been forced to, the other two had not. The elf king rolled his eyes. “If you do not do as I say, the two of you shall never go home again. I shall take you back to the Greenwood with me and you shall spend the rest of your days in a cell. Do you want that?”  
The two shook their heads at that. They wanted to go home. “Very good,” said Thranduil. He turned to Kili. “As for you dwarf. You will do as you are told as well, or we will lash your brother again in front of you and then neither of you are going home either. Do we have an understanding?”  
Kili stamped his foot at the elf and glared, but then nodded. “Very good. Now use your gifts.” The four looked at each other for a moment, and then they opened their mouthes. At first the sound was monstrous, but then it evened out into what sounded like a man's voice. The voice was clear and strong. “Hello, people of this forgotten world. I have come to you because you need my help. You have brought the voices together just in time. Things have been set in motion now, and action must be taken. Evil stirs in the East and will soon take its place in the South. You know of what I speak, Thranduil, king of elves. He is known now as the Necromancer, however he was known by another name once. Sauron stirs. Go to the caves of the Misty Mountains and seek out the one known as Smeagol, who was once a halfling. He possesses Isildur's Bane. Get it. Destroy it, and your world will be free of the evil of Sauron forever. Be wary though. There are others who would seek to destroy you. Tread carefully. As for the hosts, your voices are now your own until I have need of them again. Be free for now.”  
The voice faded and then there was silence. Then the young elf opened his mouth. “F-f-fath-father?” The king was astounded. For the first time, his son had spoken in a voice that was natural. The king stepped forward and took Legolas into his embrace. “F-father?”  
“Legolas, I am so happy. So proud of you.”  
The halfling and the boy looked at each other. “H-hobbit?” The boy said.  
“M-my name's B-bilbo.”  
“E-estel...”  
Kili said, “I-'i'm Kili. I have to go tell Fili!!!”  
The king motioned to Tauriel who then took Kili to see Fili. She took off Fili's bonds and then, with a wide smile, Kili said to him, “F-f-fili?”  
Fili did not know how to react. Kili had spoken!! “Kili?”  
“Fili!” The younger dwarf rushed forward and hugged the elder. Fili held him close. The elf had been right, as much as Fili hated to admit it. Then the elf was there. “We will be leaving soon.” He said.  
“I assume that you will be letting me and Kili go.” Fili said with a smile.  
“Not quite yet. Not until we have found Isildur's Bane and have destroyed it. The voice may have further instructions.”  
“You said you would let us go!” Fili raged.  
“Plans change, master dwarf. Just be happy that your brother is cured for now.”  
Then Thranduil left. Fili sat down against a nearby moss covered stone wall, and Kili joined him. “I' happy to hear you, Kili. I'm a bit surprised by your voice though.”  
“A-as am I...”  
“It'll be alright, Kili.” Fili said as Kili laid his head on Fili's shoulder. He would continue to take care of them if he could.  
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One day, a wizard dresses in grey came to visit Thorin. He had actually demanded that he be allowed to see the king, and though Thorin really didn't want to see the wizard, he allowed him in anyway. As he sat on his throne, the wizard looked up at him with wizened eyes. “Thorin son of Thrain, son of Thror.”  
“You seem to know me, but I do not recall meeting you before, wizard.” Thorin said.  
“Our meeting has been a long time in coming, Thorin, King Under The Mountain. I am Gandalf the Grey.”  
“And what has brought you here, Gandalf the Grey?”  
“I heard of the disappearance of your nephews.”  
Thorin was a bit perplexed. “That was some long months ago.”  
“Yes, but other strange things have been happening around you, Thorin. There were three others with the same affliction as your nephew. Now they have all gone missing.”  
“So they are all dead?” Thorin asked.  
“Not dead, my king. Merely taken.”  
Thorin was taken aback. “They're not dead?”  
“No. Your nephews still live, for whoever has taken them needs the one boy to use the voice.”  
“To what end?” Thorin asked.  
“I am not sure yet,” said the wizard. “But I think it has something to do with Isildur's Bane. Thorin, son of Thrain, will you come with me to Imladris to speak with Elrond about these troubling matters?”  
“Elrond the elf lord?” Thorin questioned suspiciously.  
“Yes. Recently a boy in his care, an adopted son of sorts, was taken as well. Please put aside old hatreds and come with me.”  
Thorin thought about it for a moment. “I will do as you say, but only because it may lead me to those I have lost, nothing else.”  
“I suppose that's the best I can hope for.” Said Gandalf. “Come son of Thrain.”  
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	8. “Shut your face, dwarf.” She hissed at him.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fili and his friends meet some goblins...And maybe some other friends.

The Curse of Silence Chapter 8

Thorin went to Imlidris with the wizard Gandalf. He was not sure what to expect, for he had no love for elves, since he had not been on good terms with Thranduil since he had lost his father. His brother had come with him along with several trusted friends, and they promised Dis that they would bring her sons home if they could. When he met with Elrond, the elf treated him kindly and seemed to be the pleasant sort of elf as opposed to the ridiculously rude elves that he had dealt with before. The elf immediately asked he and his brother to come to a council that he had called so that he could tell them all that they needed to know.  
“I have called you hear for a reason, Thorin and Frerin, sons of Thrain. To discuss the fates of your nephews.” Elrond said.  
“The wizard Gandalf says that they still live.” Frerin said.  
“And they may yet. I believe they are in the hands of one you know. The king of the woodland realm, Thranduil.”  
“I knew that bastard elf had something to do with this!!” Thorin cried. He slammed his fists down on the table. “I'll kill him if I get my hands on him!”  
“Calm yourself, Thorin, King Under the Mountain. You do not yet know the reasoning.”  
“What reason could there possibly be?” Frerin asked.  
“Recently Thranduil can to me with his son. He wondered if I could help to cure him, for his son could not speak. If he tried, his voice was some inhuman calling.”  
“Just like Kili,” Frerin said.  
“So I had heard.” Elrond said.  
“How did you know?” Thorin asked.  
“Word and knowledge reach me by strange means.” Elrond said. “Anyway, I thought it odd, because just recently a Ranger had brought a Halfling to me that was being pursued by orcs. His name was Bilbo Baggins.”  
It was Gandalf turn to be shocked this time, for he knew Bilbo and his mother. “The son of Belladonna Took?” He asked.  
“I believe so.” Elrond said.  
“Is he here?”  
“Not any longer.” Elrond told him. “He was taken from here recently, along with a boy in my care. Both of them had the same affliction as Thranduil's son and Thorin's nephew I believe. They disappeared soon after the arrival and departure of Thranduil.”  
“So he kidnapped them as well...” Thorin said.  
“Yes.”  
“Did you attempt to go after him?” Frerin asked.  
“We tracked them and lost the trail at Echad Mirobel.”  
“Echad Mirobel?” Gandalf said. “What was he doing in Eregion?”  
“I believe that was merely where they camped. They could be anywhere now. I have asked our brethren in Lothlorien to keep an eye out, but I doubt they would be foolish enough to pass through Moria.”  
“No...” Gamdalf told them. “That is not his goal.”  
“What is his goal then?” Thorin asked.  
“I think that our foolish elf king is after Isildur's Bane.”  
“Gandalf? You can't be serious. What reason would Thranduil have to go after Isildur's Bane?” Elrond asked.  
“Lifting the spell upon his son and the others was his primary goal. I think that this whole thing is somehow connected to Sauron's weapon.”  
“What is this weapon?” Frerin asked. “It has been said that Isildur's Bane has been lost for centuries. Maybe even destroyed.”  
“That is not so.” Gandalf said. “The shadows around Dol Guldur are growing. I believe now that I know the reason why. Radagast, my fellow wizard has told me that there is a being there. He is called the Necromancer now, but I believe he had another name once.”  
“Sauron...” Elrond said.  
“I believe that the Necromancer is responsible for the disappearance and death of your father, King Thorin.”  
“Why would he do that?” Thorin asked.  
“When Celebrimbor created the rings of power, he gifted them to the three great races. The dwarves were given seven rings. Many of them had been taken, lost or destroyed, but your father possessed the last one still know to any. The Necromancer took Thrain to get the ring.”  
“He was going to give that ring to you, Thorin.” Frerin said.  
“So he is dead,” was all that Thorin said.  
“Indeed.” Gandalf confirmed.  
“So what do we do about Thranduil?” Frerin said.  
“We find him and rescue the innocent before they are beyond help.” Gandalf said.  
“I will kill him...” Thorin said.  
“He acted out of desperation brought on by the love of a child. The only person he has left to him.” Elrond said. “If it were your child and there was the slightest glimmer of hope...”  
“I understand...” Thorin replied. “Where do you think they might be going?”  
“I have sent out scouts. Hopefully we will hear back soon.”  
“You have my thanks, Elrond of Rivendell.” Thorin said.  
“ And you have mine, Thorin son of Thrain.”  
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The trek back toward the Misty Mountains was uneventful. At some point they had to leave the wagons behind, and the two dwarves, boy and hobbit were led around by their chains once more. Thranduil found it amusing to land Tauriel with Fili, and she found it amusing to jerk his chain around to see if she could make him trip. He found it more amusing to walk close behind and step on the back of her shoes and her heels. All in all, everyone was getting their laughs every so often.   
Then one night, as they were passing through the mountains, a storm rolled through and left everyone soaked and on treacherous terrain. The stone giants was even more of a setback, as they thrashed around and made general trouble for the elves. The elves caring for the prisoners were separated from the rest of the party, as they were now on separate levels of the mountain. The caretakers decided it was best to find shelter while the others caught up.  
The cave the elves found was quiet enough and dry. The prisoners huddled in the back while the elves conversed quietly up near the entrance. Fili wasn't sure what to make of all this. It seemed like fate was herding them toward something somehow. He felt that they were meant to be right there at that very moment. He was right when the floor opened up and he, Kili, the hobbit, the boy, the elf prince and the mouthy she-elf fell through the floor...And were suddenly swarmed by goblins. Goblins that pushed the young hobbit over the edge of the catwalk. He was lost and Fili watched as he disappeared into the darkness.  
The Goblin King didn't very much like to be disturbed. This was very much clear to Fili when he demanded that the elves be immediately executed along with the boy. Suddenly, a voice took over Kili again as he stood by Fili's side.  
“You may not kill these. If you do, you shall bring great pain upon yourselves. This is required to find Idildur's Bane. Find Isildur's Bane.”  
This brought immediate fear into the goblin's face, for he knew what Isildur's Bane was and he knew that these were not idle threats. He ordered them taken away instead. The boy and the two elves were shoved into a large cage while the two dwarves were shoved into a slightly smaller cage. Then, for a while they were left alone.  
“What's your plan here, oh queen of the elves?” Fili said sarcastically.  
“Shut your face, dwarf.” She hissed at him.  
“So no plan, eh?” Fili said.  
“Fili, give it a rest, will you?” Kili said. He could speak perfectly, a gift given from the ones who never allowed him to speak. “I know you hate her...Sort of...But you're not doing anyone any favors.”  
“Listen to that one.” She said.  
“I think the hobbit is dead.” Fili said. “I saw him fall.”  
“What does that mean?” Asked the boy.  
“I don't know,” said Fili. “I just don't know.”


	9. But I suppose we cannot protect them always, and certainly not from everything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fili and Tauriel come to an understanding. Fili and Kili are taken by others.

The Curse of Silence Chapter 9

Kili slept fitfully by Fili's side in their little cage. The elves and the boy were trying to rest as well, Estel resting his head upon Tauriel's leg as he slept. She and Fili had decided it was best to let their war of words halt, for the time being. They had to figure a way out of this, and engaging in immature crap was not going to do anybody any good. So for the moment they all rested. Then when everyone seemed to be asleep, Fili turned to the elf woman.  
“You know I don't really hate you.” He said. “I have merely been frustrated, that is all. And you were the easiest target to aim my frustration at.”  
“I know. I understand the frustration of your situation.”  
“I just wanted to...”  
“Listen, you don't have to explain. I understand, almost literally, your frustration. It's like me and that one.” She indicated Legolas, who was now drooling on his own shoulder. “I've taken care of him for so long. Protected him. And now this. And I don't know if I can.”  
Fili could sympathize and gave her a little knowing smile. “That is the way almost all of us have always felt about Kili. But I suppose we cannot protect them always, and certainly not from everything. I wonder if the halfling truly is dead?”  
The strange voice that was almost that of a woman came from Kili, despite the fact that the dwarf still seemed to be asleep. “The halfling cannot be dead. If he were, none of the others would still live.”  
“What do you mean...Voice?” Fili certaily didn't know who he was addressing.  
“When the elf king brought the four voices together, he inexplicably linked the four hosts together as well. The lives of the hosts are now bound together. That means that if one dies, the other three follow. That means the the halfling cannot be dead. You must find Isildur's Bane and destroy it and then they shall all be free forever.”  
“But where is Isildur's Bane?” Fili asked.  
“It is here in these very caves. In fact, it has been found. Rejoin the halfling. Go with him to destroy Isildur's Bane and it will all be over.”  
“Wait,” Tauriel said. “The halfling has found the thing?”  
“Indeed...”  
“So how do we destroy it?” Fili asked.  
“In the fires of Mount Orodruin in the land of Mordor.”  
“Are you serious?” The elf asked.  
“It is the only way. Escape and find your way to Mordor. Destroy it and the hosts will be free.”  
Then the voice was gone. Kili op-ened his eyes and stared at Fili. “Did you say something?”  
“No,” the other dwarf said. “I didn't say anything.”  
A moment later, several goblins came into the dungeons and began to take the prisoners out of their cages. They were leg back out into the main chamber, where the Great Goblin sat upon his throne. Also there were some very tall orcs, the likes of which Fili had never seen before. He stepped in front of Kili in an attempt to hide him from view.  
“These are the ones we captured. The ones who said they knew where Isildur's Bane could be found.” The King said to one of the great orcs. “I am sure that your master will be quite pleased to get his hands on this bunch, wouldn't you say, Ugluk?” The goblin gave a wicked smile.  
The massive orc walked over to the small group of prisoners. He sniffed them and stared them each down. None of them wished to look at his ugly face, and so averted their eyes. He grabbed a fist full of Tauriels hair and jerked it up so that the elf had to look at him. She gave him her steeliest glare, despite the panic rising in her heart. He simply pushed her aside and went and knelt to look directly into Fili's eyes. The dwarf said nothing, and skewered the orc with his own biting gaze. The orc stood and went back to the goblin.  
“All I see here is random elf scum and a few other pathetic creatures. What proof have you that these are the ones we want?”  
“Do it...” The goblin said to one of his henchmen.  
The goblin went over to the dwarves and grabbed a hold of the not so brave looking Kili and hauled him out of the group. Fili tried to get to him but was held back by the chain that still dangled from his wrists, damn elves and their chains! The goblin held Kili tightly and took a knife, pressing it to his throat until there was the slightest hint of blood. Then, a different voice sprang from his lips. It was not the same as any of the other tow or three that had spoken before. It was deep and booming and quickly filled the cavern. “You must not kill these!!! In order to find Isildur's Bane, you must keep these alive. Kill them, any of them, and all is lost. FIND ISILDUR'S BANE!!!”  
Again the room went silent and everyone was left in a slight state of shock. However, the orc was convinced. “These are the ones. What do you want for them?” Ugluk asked.  
“What does your master offer?” The goblin asked.  
“Land? Everything from the Misty Mountains to the Western sea. North of Moria and Enedwaith.”  
“And what about Erebor and the Greenwood? I might quite enjoy having that hoarde to myself.” The goblin said.  
“The Greenwood belongs to The Necromancer. I'll see what I can do about Erebor.”  
Kili was returned to Fili. They gave each other worried looks. This orc was offering the goblin's their uncles realm? Their realm? They had to get out of here, somehow.  
“I don't know if I am satisfied with you saying 'I'll see what I can do about Erebor'”, the goblin said. Tauriel didn't like where this was going. “I would say that since your master is going to be ruling over the Southlands, then the Northern realm of Erebor would be no great loss to him.”  
“Goblin, you are lucky that we are negotiating with you on this as it is. We are the fighting Uruk-hai, bred by our master to be the forerunners of the orc kind. What makes you think that we cannot simply take what we want?”  
“Threatening me in my own realm?” The goblin said. “Very bold indeed. You know there are others who might be interested in these people. Bolg of Moria, The Necromancer himself. I could even sell them back to their people, if the price was right. And there is always the chance that I could keep them for myself.”   
“Don't be a fool, goblin King!” the orc cried.  
Things were becoming very tense, and Fili was sure that any moment now, a fight was going to break out between the goblins and this orc and his few followers. Whatever happened, he would have to stay close to Kili. While they could both fight, Kili never relished it and was not nearly as good with a sword as Fili was.   
The king had decided on foolishness. “I don't like you, Ugluk of the Uruk-hai. You shall leave now, empty handed.”  
“Sorry goblin, I cannot do that.” The orc drew his sword and cut the head of the goblin off. As it rolled on the floor near one of the king's generals, the goblin just looked at it for a second, as if not sure what it meant. When the orcs tried to make a move toward the prisoners, that was when the goblins attacked and all hell broke loose.  
The goblins were no match for the orcs, even in numbers, but still they fought as bravely as they could. Then Fili and Tauriel saw the opening at the same time, and started to usher their charges away from the fight. It was not long, however when the goblins and orcs noticed their attempt to get away and they began to give chase. The small group of prisoners made it out into the empty halls, but the creatures were close behind. Tauriel saw a possible escape route below. It meant they would have to jump the scaffolding and make their way down a steep bank, but she could see the light down there.  
She pointed it out to them. “C'mon,” she said as she began to help Legolas and Estel over. Then she jumped and Fili and Kili were ready to jump as well. The only problem was that Fili and Kili were still wearing the elven chains. As Kili attempted to jump, the chain caught on the scaffolding and it would not allow him to fall, leaving him dangling instead as he cried out, as his wrists had been terribly wrenched. When Fili saw this, he felt he had no choice, he had to go back up, for Kili was being reeled in like a fish. Tauriel tried to stop him, but he said, “no, I have to. Get them to safety.” He said as he indicated Legolas and Estel. Then he began to climb. Tauriel had no choice but to leave them behind, and she ushered Legolas and the boy out the door.  
Kili had already been hauled up over the railing. When Fili climbed up to join him, he was immediately hauled up by his jacket and came face to face with Ugluk, the leader of the Uruk-hai.  
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When Tauriel made her way out of the mountain with the prince and the boy, she came face to face with the missing hobbit. “Oh, it's you!” She said. “We have to get out of here. We have lost the dwarves for now, but I will go back for them when I know you are all safe.”  
“What do you mean 'you've lost the dwarves for now'?” Said an unfamiliar voice from behind her.  
She turned and there was Thorin, son of Thrain with his brother Frerin and the Elven King was there as well, looking as though he had severely tongue-lashed. “Where are they?” Thorin asked. “Where are my nephews?”


End file.
